Imagine this scenario. You pull up to a red traffic light. There is one car in front of you. It happens to be a car that you believe is always driven by jerks. Your eyes are drawn to the three bumper stickers on the car that are totally the opposite of the candidate or cause you hold dear. The light changes to green and…nothing. The vile car in front of you doesn’t move. The seconds tick by as your blood pressure rises and finally you do it. You honk your horn sending the sound waves and your displeasure at the same time. The driver’s door of the car in front of slowly opens, face flushing, you gird yourself for a confrontation and…

Out steps your best friend in the whole world!

YOU -Wow! What are you doing here?

BF- I thought that was you behind me!

YOU- Where did you get that car?

BF- One of our neighbors just donated that car to help that cause we both love so much and I was just delivering it to the donation site.

YOU- Wow! The money that car will bring will help quite a few families. What a blessing that car is at a time like this.

BF – I’m holding up traffic. Gotta go! See ya!

How’s your blood pressure now? What do you think about that car and driver now? How’s your mood? What changed?

What you thought was the reality of the situation was not in fact reality. You judged based on appearances. You judged because you thought you had all the facts necessary to condemn a stranger. You judged because in a few short seconds you forgot everything that you were taught, everything that you preach to others, everything you tell your children not to do.

Are you some horrible beast for doing that? No, you are human and what keeps you as a human from becoming a horrible beast is your ability to pause before you judge another human being. So many times we don’t have a clue on why we, ourselves, did something and yet most times we are absolutely, positively sure why someone else did what they did.

Pause for a brief moment before judging and give your heart a chance to be heard. It just might change your life.